Android

Fifteen Google partners are handing out Android pins at CES 2015, meaning that the Mountain View corporation itself is not completely absent from the world’s largest trade show after all.

According to representatives from the partner companies in question, Google sent out several employees to CES booths yesterday to hand out plastic Android mascot stands and hundreds of pins. All of the companies Google has partnered with are showing off Android on their devices in some way here at CES, including Sony, Samsung, Pioneer, Chevrolet, Dell, Hyundai, JVC Kenwood, Razer, Nvidia, Panasonic, Parrot, Intel, LG, Qualcomm, and Sharp.

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We’ve seen several new Android phones debut at CES 2015 from Asus, LG, Lenovo, and Verizon announced today availability for one of the more interesting smartphones announced in 2014 with its launch of the Samsung Galaxy Note Edge. First announced by Samsung in September of last year, the Galaxy Note Edge features a 5.6-inch quad HD super AMOLED display with a dramatic curve alongside the right of the phone for displaying notifications, controls, app icons, and more. Check out our hands-on video for the Galaxy Note Edge and read on for Verizon availability details.
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Samsung tonight has issued its earnings guidance for the fourth quarter of 2014. The company says that it expects to, yet again, report a decline in operating profit and sales. Samsung estimates that its operating profit for Q4 2014 as 5.2 trillion won, or $4.5 billion. That’s a decrease of roughly 37 percent when compared to the $8.3 billion reported in Q4 2013. The number does, however, beat analyst expectations of 4.8 trillion won.

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It is the second day of the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, and we’re back on the show floor to discover the diamonds in the rough. Noke, the world’s first Bluetooth-enabled padlock, is one of those hidden gems. Noke replaces the nuisances of losing your keys or needing to remember random combinations with convenient unlocking over Bluetooth technology when your Android smartphone is within close range.
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Bloomberg reports that a Manhattan District Attorney is challenging recent moves by Apple, Google and other tech companies by suggesting government pass laws that prevent mobile devices from being “sealed off from law enforcement.” In an interview this week, the government official called it “an issue of public safety.”

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It appears 2015 is going to be the first year that Android Auto and Apple’s CarPlay finally start seeing more widespread attention, and Pioneer is kicking the year off with five new NEX receivers, three of which are compatible with Google’s Android Auto. We had a chance to see one of them in action at CES 2015, and while it was made clear that this was just demonstration software, the receivers are most definitely doing a great job of showing off Google’s car OS in a package that’s relatively affordable.
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AT&T announced today a new plan feature for its mobile share value customers: shareable rollover data. The carrier says more than 50 million subscribers will automatically gain the benefit when it kicks off at the end of the month on January 25th. If this news sounds familiar, that’s likely because competing wireless provider T-Mobile became the first of the big four national carriers to offer rollover data with its “data stash” feature announced last month alongside a free 10GB data promo. Here’s how AT&T says its version of rollover data works:

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As suggested last week, it seems that TCL, parent company of Alcatel Onetouch, has indeed purchased the rights to the Palm trademarks from HP and plans to launch new devices under that banner. What new devices, exactly, is still a mystery, however.

Today TCL CEO George Guo said that he believed the existing value of the Palm brand had piqued the company’s interest in acquiring the trademarks, though it seems it did so without much of a plan for the future. The executive said that the Palm name will be brought back to the market, but TCL is hoping that the public will provide ideas for products it can produce under the brand.

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Motorola has just announced in a blog post that it is making a return to China. Following the company’s acquisition by Lenovo, Motorola Mobility says that it is returning to China with three of its newest devices. Motorola calls China “one of the world’s fastest-growing smartphone markets,” and promises to release the Moto X, Moto X Pro, and Moto G with LTE in early 2015.

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Dell announced today at CES 2015 that its Venue 8 7000 Android-powered tablet is now available. The device—originally announced back in September at an Intel event—costs $400 and is available now in the US from Dell.com and Best Buy stores. It will launch in Canada later this week and in Australia, New Zealand, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, India, Germany and the UK during early 2015.

The Dell Venue 8 7000 is “the world’s thinnest tablet,” according to the company, coming in at just 6mm. Dell also touts that the device features an “infinity display” with very little side bezel, making the display nearly edge-to-edge. The 8.4-inch display comes with a QHD 2560 x 1600 resolution, as well.
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Android Auto, Google’s solution to integrating content from your smartphone to your car’s built-in display, is on full display at CES 2015 this week as Pioneer announced three new aftermarket in-dash receivers with Android Auto support. Starting at $700, Pioneer will beginning shipping the second generation of its NEX receivers starting in March bringing Android Auto to the car you already own.
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Kenwood announced today at CES 2015 its first entry into the aftermarket Android Auto space with its new DDX9902S multimedia receiver. In addition to supporting Android Auto, Kenwood says its DDX9902S display will support Apple’s CarPlay feature in the same unit.
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We saw Misfit introduce a unique, luxury version of its Shine fitness and sleep tracking wearable with Swarovski at CES yesterday, and today Misfit is launching Bolt—its first smart bulb. Misfit describes Bolt as “a wirelessly connected color-changing light bulb that lets users personalize their home lighting.” Misfit points out that its Bolt connected light bulbs won’t require a hub and actually integrate with the company’s existing sleep tracking devices (Shine, Flash, Beddit) to gently wake you up with lighting during light sleep.
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Announcing a new version of its SmartThings Hub, Samsung co-CEO BK Yoon said that every piece of hardware the company makes will be a connected device within five years.

By 2017, 90% of all Samsung’s products will be Internet of Things devices, and that includes all of our televisions and mobile devices[…] Five years from now, every single piece of Samsung hardware will be an IoT device, whether it is an air purifier or an oven.

Yoon also said that the company was committed to open connectivity, rather than the walled garden approach the company has previously taken, where its devices only talk to other Samsung devices … 
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We got a chance to go hands-on this morning with the Asus Zenfone 2 at CES in Las Vegas, and I think I’ve come to the conclusion that this is one of the most notable smartphones to ever come from the Taiwanese company. Forget the fact that this device is the first smartphone in the world to come with 4 GB of RAM and consider this: At $199, this device, even without its headlining feature (which the base model is notably lacking anyway), is now by far the best $199-level phone on the market.
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Sony has announced that all 2015 models of its Bravia TV line will be powered by Android TV during today’s CES press conference. The televisions will be able to accept voice commands in over 40 languages and will feature full support for Google Play apps and Google Cast wireless streaming from mobile devices.

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Sony just kicked off its press conference at CES 2015, and one thing for the company will be showing off during the event is a new stainless steel designed SmartWatch 3. The SmartWatch 3 was originally released in October of 2014, but Sony has taken the opportunity at CES to give it an updated, more high-end design.

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